The report of Jim Obaze, the Special Investigator appointed by President Bola Tinubu to investigate the activities of Godwin Emefiele as the governor of the apex bank has continued to generate reactions among Nigerians.
The report said Emefiele used proxies to acquire some new-generation banks when held away as the governor of CBN
In the report submitted to President Tinubu on December 20, Obaze detailed a total of 17 allegations against Emefiele including how a bank was acquired in 2019 allegedly by Emefiele and a late businessman.
He further disclosed that the bank was acquired by the two individuals without evidence of payment
Here are the 17 allegations laid against Emefiele:
1. Unauthorized funded 593 Bank accounts located in the UK, US, and China.
2. Fraudulent cash withdrawal of $6.23 million from CBN vault under a purported approval of the president to pay foreign election observers.
3. Gross financial misconduct by Ex CBN Governor and at least 13 other individuals, including his Deputy Governors.
4. £543.4 million kept in fixed deposit by Mr. Emefiele.
5. Manipulation of the Naira exchange rate and perpetration of fraud in the e-Naira project of the CBN.
6. The Naira Redesign was neither recommended by the Board of the CBN nor approved by the then president.
7. The CBN printed the new N200, N500, N1,000 notes at a total cost of N61.5 billion out of which N31.8 billion has been paid to the Contractor.
8. The sum of N1.73 billion was spent on questionable legal fees on 19 cases that are directly traceable to the Naira Redesign and reconfiguration agenda.
9. £205,000 was paid to a UK Firm for Naira Redesign effort – positioning of watermark, presence of QR codes, different numbering style, and other complex security features.
10. Fraudulent use of Ways & Means to the tune of N26.627 trillion.
11. Fraudulent intervention programmes.
12. Fraudulent expenditures on COVID-19.
13. Misrepresentation of presidential approval on the NESI Stabilization Strategy Ltd.
14. Padding of former president Buhari’s approval with N198.96 billion – approximating N801.04 billion to N1 trillion.
15. No approvals are received from the former president and yet N500 billion was taken and debited to Ways & Means.
16. Former CBN Governor and 4 Deputies connived to steal outrightly to balance the books of the CBN.
17. No approval for the breakdown of N22.72 trillion presented to the 9th National Assembly to illegally securitize the “Ways & Means” financing.
